Discover the DC Code

The laws of DC, for non-lawyers.

DC Decoded provides the DC Code on one friendly website. Inline
definitions, cross-references, bulk downloads, a modern API, and all of the niceties
of modern website design. It’s like the expensive software lawyers use, but free and
wonderful.

This is a public beta test of DC Decoded, which is to say that everything is under
development, but is at a point where it may be viewed by the public. DC Decoded is
offered as a resource only, and any official reliance or citation must be made to
the DC Official Code.

Inline Definitions

Throughout the DC Code, very specific legal definitions are
provided for terminology both specialized and mundane. If you don’t know which
words have special definitions, and what those definitions are, then you can’t
understand what a law really means. DC Decoded solves this
problem neatly, by identifying every definition in the DC Code and
providing a pop-up definition every time that a defined word appears.

Bulk Downloads

DC Decoded isn’t just a pretty website—you can take the laws with
you, too. On our downloads page you can get copies
of all of the laws of DC in any format that you like, to do
whatever you like with. They’re available in formats meant for you to read
and in formats meant for software to read, too. If you’re a software developer,
you’ll love our API!

All user-contributed content is, of course, owned by its authors. The DC code
is owned by the citizens of DC and, consequently, it is not governed by
copyright—so do whatever you want with it! The information on this website does
not constitute legal advice—nobody here is acting as your attorney, and nothing
that you read here is a substitute for a competent attorney. OpenGov makes no
guarantee that this information is accurate or up-to-date, although we try our
best. Seriously, OpenGov is not your attorney. Heck, we’re not attorneys at all.